I worked in TV most of my Working Life and was a 21 year old studio sound technician at Thames TV. I’d bought Costello’s first album “ My Aim is True” two weeks before and heard that Elvis Costello was to be a guest on the lunchtime show ‘Good Afternoon’ (that particular recording hosted in Thames TV’s Studios 5 at the Euston Road complex by the lovely Mavis Nicholson). I was due to be working in St.6 next door that day but did a ‘swap’ with a colleague so I could see Costello.

He turned up for a sound check and rehearsal and I mic’ed up his Fender Champ 10w amp and set a vocal mic, he arrived with his Fender Jazzmaster guitar, slightly nervous but personable, told me he was doing two songs and we asked him to run through so the Sound Supervisor (talented guy named John Baker who sadly died a few years ago) could get levels. John knew that I was a fan so he recorded the rehearsals on 1/4” tape for me.

EC played two songs that hadn’t been released at the time although Watching the Detectives had been played live with his new supporting band The Attractions (as he told me later), the other song was Hoover Factory.

Everyone happy with levels, Mavis was then called to the studio and we recorded the show ‘as live’ in one go. It was a good interview and EC relaxed as it went on. This was the period when Jake Riviera had banned interviews with the Music press and many rumours / false stories were filling the inches of the weekly ‘inkies’.

My overriding memory of the musical performances was the intensity of his performance of ‘Detectives’ - it was mesmerising and so powerful to be feet away from him. I remember looking at the studio crew around and old hacks of the ‘seen it all before’ scene crew (probably my age now!) who were transfixed and staring.

After the show recording EC, Mavis and producer, director and team (not us studio crew - we were never invited) went to the Green Room for post show drinks. My Sound Sup John tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘come on’ and took me to the Green Room (proof 1st time there I was surprised it wasn’t green!) and to my embarrassment walked me up to EC and said ‘this is Ian he is a fan and changed his work schedule to meet you” - a few moments of mutual verbal shuffling developed into a 30 odd minutes of conversation. I discovered much of his musical likes and he spoke of The Attractions and the arrangement they had made of Detectives and how different it sounded from the forthcoming single. I really enjoyed the chat and thought he was a nice guy…. 18 months or so later I worked on another show with him as a musical guest and he was like a completely different person and a complete arse, couple of years after that a sound recording session with him and back to normal (even if the sound mixer had to give him a fader to control which actually did nothing!)

Anyway over he years I have had the recording of the rehearsal of Detectives & Hoover Factory, aware that apart from the few people I’ve played it to, no-one has heard it since that day (27th Sept 1977) and that now seems a bit selfish.

I’ve made a simple video as easy way to share.

Hope you enjoy